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John Watson (Freeman)
Dr. John Hamish Watson is a former Army doctor and the best friend and assistant of Sherlock Holmes. He helps Sherlock solve murders, and they share a flat. He lives at 221B Baker Street with Sherlock, which they rent from Mrs Hudson. He has an older sister named Harriet Watson (nicknamed Harry) whom he does not see often - probably because she is an alcoholic. John is instructed by his therapist, Ella Thompson, in "A Study In Pink" to keep a blog about his day and his thoughts and feelings as he adjusted to civilian life after leaving the Army. History John Watson was trained at St. Bartholomew's Hospital as a British Army doctor and served as a Captain in the Fifth Northumberland Fusiliers. He was deployed to Afghanistan, where he served until being shot in the shoulder. He recovered from the physical wound, but was left with psychological trauma: a psychosomatic limp in his leg and an intermittent tremor in his left (dominant) hand. The limp was bad enough to require a cane to help him walk, and shortly thereafter he was discharged from service. John's life is shown to be at an impasse at the start of the series. He is seeing a therapist for post-traumatic stress, but they aren't making much progress. As part of his treatment, he is intended to keep a blog to record his day to day life. However, he fails to keep up with it, claiming, "Nothing happens to me." Season One In "A Study In Pink", John is introduced to Sherlock Holmes via an old friend from St. Bartholomew's ("Barts"), Mike Stamford. Mike is now an instructor at the hospital, upon hearing John needs a new place to live, mentions another person saying the same thing that morning. Mike takes John to a lab in the Barts morgue, where Sherlock Holmes is working on the forensics of a particular case. Within seconds and with a few fleeting glances, Sherlock has deduced key elements of John's life. Although both awestruck and off-put, John agrees to meet Sherlock the next day at 221B Baker Street. Upon seeing the flat, John expresses interest in renting it. He also learns that Sherlock is a consultant to DI Greg Lestrade of Scotland Yard. Sherlock requests he come along to a crime scene as his assistant. There, John witnesses more of Sherlock's uncanny deductive ability as well as his complete animosity toward the Yard's investigative team. DS Sally Donovan goes so far as to warn John, "Stay away from Sherlock Holmes" because "he's a psychopath. Psychopaths get bored. One day we'll be standing around a body and Sherlock Holmes will be the one who put it there." Sobered by this information and abandoned by Sherlock at the crime scene, John returns to a main road to pick up a cab. Instead, he is intercepted by a strange car and taken to a secure location to have a talk with Sherlock's brother Mycroft Holmes. Mycroft never introduces himself, and due to his questionable attitude and methods, John is not willing to take what he has to say seriously. Mycroft offers him money to spy on Sherlock, which John declines. "You're very loyal very quickly," Mycroft observes. He also notes that John's therapist has reported that he has a tremor in his left hand. However, upon observing the same hand during their conversation, Mycroft says, "You're under stress right now and your hand is perfectly steady. You're not haunted by the war, Dr. Watson. You miss it." Despite several warnings to the contrary, John returns to 221B – first stopping off at his old residence to collect his firearm – and continues to aid Sherlock in the murder investigation. This leads them to pursuing a cab through London on foot, a course of action that is ultimately fruitless, but helps Sherlock prove a point. When faced with the apprehension of a potential suspect, John forgets entirely about his psychosomatic limp and is able to keep up with Sherlock during the chase. When they return to Baker Street, Sherlock tells the landlady, Mrs Hudson, that John will indeed be renting the flat. John comes to Sherlock's rescue after Sherlock has gone off on his own to confront a serial killer. John uses a victim's mobile phone, left in the possession of the killer, to track their location via GPS. He shoots the killer from an adjacent building, thinking that Sherlock's life is in danger. He is an excellent marksman, able to shoot through two windows and over Sherlock's shoulder in order to fatally wound the suspect. Afterward, John moves into 221B and begins blogging about their adventures. In "The Blind Banker", Sherlock and John have been rooming together for months, but money is tight. Sherlock scoffs at the idea of getting a job, but John seeks out a position at a medical clinic. There he meets another doctor, Sarah Sawyer, with whom he is smitten. Then he sets out to aid Sherlock with a new case, an endeavor that cuts into his work day. Sarah covers for him when he falls asleep on the job and John manages to get a date out of her. He unwisely accepts Sherlock's recommendation of a place to take her, and all three of them end up at a visiting Chinese circus while Sherlock investigates the performers as part of their case. John and Sarah are later abducted by members of the Chinese Mafia, mistakenly thinking John is Sherlock. Sherlock appears to set the record straight and save the two. In "The Great Game," it is revealed that John has been blogging about specific cases of Sherlock's, and it is garnering some popularity, particularly with the members of Scotland Yard. Their next case is unlike any they have seen before. An anonymous bomber is deliberately playing a game of wits with Sherlock. John assists as best he can, but their adversary is intent upon blowing up his victims if Sherlock cannot solve certain cases within a specific amount of time. John becomes concerned for the innocent lives hanging in the balance between Sherlock and their mysterious bomber, and equally concerned that Sherlock doesn't seem to care about human life at all. An argument ensues between the two, in which Sherlock says, "Don't make people into heroes, John. Heroes don't exist, and if they did, I wouldn't be one of them." John is angered by Sherlock's cold attitude, but relents to continue aiding in the investigation. John is later abducted by the bomber – revealed to be Jim Moriarty – and used as the final victim in a confrontation with Sherlock. John attempts to sacrifice himself, attacking Moriarty, so that if the bomb were to detonate, he would take Moriarty out with him. Moriarty sees that John values Sherlock's life above his own and in turn has his snipers train their weapons on Sherlock. This forces John to back off from Moriarty. Sherlock removes the explosives from John's coat. The two then decide it would be worth both their deaths to detonate the bomb and take Moriarty out with them. Season Two The Series 2 premiere, "A Scandal in Belgravia", begins with the conclusion to the previous episodes cliffhanger. The high tension standoff is interrupted when Moriarty's mobile phone rings. Whatever the caller has to tell him is enough to make him call off his snipers and allow Sherlock and John to live another day. Several months pass, during which the pair investigate other cases and John blogs about them. His blog becomes popular with the general public, which forces them to avoid attention from the media. Still, John is pleased with the development, telling an annoyed Sherlock that the blog is helping him make a living. During this time, John ends his relationship with Sarah and enters the dating pool again, with limited success. The two are summoned to Buckingham Palace by Mycroft to investigate a matter of delicate importance to the British royal family. A young female person in close relation to the Queen has had compromising photographs taken of her while in the company of Irene Adler, a dominatrix known professionally known as The Woman. They are being employed to get the photos back, before Irene can use them as blackmail. Irene proves to be an intellectual match for Sherlock and escapes their grasp. Regardless, she makes a lasting impression on him – and texts him with regularity. Sherlock never replies and will never tell John what she says. John has his own inklings about Sherlock's feelings toward Irene. "I'm not stupid, you know," he says. Sherlock retorts, "Whatever gave you that idea?" When Irene turns up dead that Christmas, Sherlock is upset by the news to an unprecedented extent. John is baffled and concerned by the behaviour, wondering if Sherlock is capable of being heartbroken. Then, Irene contacts John, revealing that she had faked her death to escape her enemies. John's stance is for her to tell Sherlock she is alive. She wants his help, but John holds Sherlock's well-being in higher regard than anything she has to offer him. By the end of the episode, John is still no closer to understanding Sherlock's capacity for emotion. "He doesn't feel things that way," he tells Mycroft. Yet still he opts not to tell Sherlock that Irene Adler wound up dead after all, instead following Mycroft's suggestion to tell Sherlock she was put in a witness protection scheme in America. He also breaks police protocol and allows Sherlock to keep Irene's mobile phone as a memento. John remains unaware that Irene is actually alive, and at the last moment whilst she was to be executed in another country, Sherlock came to her rescue. In "The Hounds of Baskerville", Sherlock and John infiltrate Baskerville Military Base, a top secret government base after being called to investigate the specifics of a case. John expresses skepticism about clearing security with an ID stolen from Mycroft, but then pulls rank on a young army officer to aid Sherlock's cover story. Sherlock is impressed by John's ability to think on his feet. The case brings out John's instincts as a doctor. Their client, Henry Knight, is in a state of visible emotional trauma, which John attempts to treat with bed rest and a prescription. Additionally, when Sherlock finds himself on unsteady mental ground, John keeps his cool. He attempts to steer Sherlock back to thinking rationally, citing mental stress and overwork as a reason why Sherlock might have thought he saw a demon hound out on the moor with Henry Knight. Sherlock's difficult behavior ultimately angers him, but not so much that he won't interview Henry's therapist, Dr. Louise Mortimer, as a favor to Sherlock. When speaking with Mortimer, John expresses concern for Sherlock's well-being despite the argument that they had. John inspires Sherlock to recognise the clue that solves the case: the use of acronyms to abbreviate the name of a government project. John mistakenly applies the idea to something irrelevant, but Sherlock then realises the clue of the word "hound" should actually be "H.O.U.N.D." They then uncover traces of a defunct experiment, with that code name. The Series 2 finale, "The Reichenbach Fall", opens with John sitting in the office of his therapist, eighteen months after the events of "A Study in Pink". He hasn't been to see her since then, and reveals the reason that he has returned is, "my best friend, Sherlock Holmes, is dead". In flashback form, the episode reveals how John got to this point. It begins with the increased publicity Sherlock has been receiving for his cases. John's blog has inspired more widespread media coverage, and Sherlock has been solving increasingly high-profile cases as a result. John sticks with him, making sure he can conduct himself cordially in public. John is worried about the repercussions of Sherlock's newfound fame and warns him, "The press always turns, Sherlock. And this time, they'll turn on you". Before long, Jim Moriarty resurfaces in highly dramatic fashion and begins systematically destroying Sherlock's reputation and credibility. During this time, Mycroft summons John to the Diogenes Club to warn him that Moriarty has stationed four assassins around 221B Baker Street, although their motives are currently unknown. Moriarty sets up a crime and plants enough evidence that it appears Sherlock committed it himself. With Scotland Yard wanting to arrest him, Sherlock asks John if he has doubts as well as to whether Sherlock could be a fraud. John remains steadfast and loyal, although he adds, "I know you're for real. No one could fake being such an annoying dick all the time". When the Yard does arrest Sherlock, John is outraged. He punches a high-ranking officer, ensuring that he will be arrested as well. Sherlock "implements a daring escape" and they flee together as fugitives. Trying desperately to find a solution, they find themselves in the flat of journalist Kitty Riley, who claims she will be soon publishing an exposé on Sherlock's life. Her source is a man claiming to be Richard Brook, an actor Sherlock hired to play the part of his nemesis. It is really Moriarty, and he appears to them at that point. John loses his temper, vehemently refusing to believe the lies Moriarty has spun. Sherlock remains silent while John vouches for his character. Moriarty escapes again, and the two split up to investigate separate avenues. John returns to Mycroft, having realized Kitty's story contains so much factual evidence about Sherlock that someone must have tipped off Moriarty to it. Mycroft confesses that the government had Moriarty detained and interrogated, but he would only cooperate if Mycroft told him about Sherlock's life. Moriarty was then released. John leaves in disgust. Sherlock is hiding out in the Barts morgue, where John joins him. Then John receives a phone call that Mrs. Hudson has been shot. John wants to return to her immediately, but Sherlock coldly tells him he needs to stay where he is. In a fit of emotion, John insults Sherlock and leaves. When he arrives back at 221B, he discovers Mrs. Hudson is fine, and he was only given the call to get him away from Barts. He rushes back to the scene just in time to get a suicide phone call from Sherlock, who is standing on the top of the building. Sherlock tries to convince John that he is indeed a fraud, but John, although confused and scared, still refuses to believe it. Sherlock then jumps from the roof, and John is unable to get to him until it's too late. From that point on, John believes Sherlock is dead, although when visiting his grave, he expresses hope that somehow Sherlock will be able to cheat death and return. Personality John is extremely brave, resourceful and practical. He is extremely loyal to Sherlock, and will usually, but not always, do what Sherlock asks him to, and cares a great deal about his well-being. Sherlock likewise cares about John. He is also very selfless and modest, as he puts himself at colossal personal risks to help Sherlock Holmes and is rather sceptical about his companion's ideals. He is very sarcastic and has an erratic sense of humour. John deals with lack of stimulation little better than Sherlock does, the difference being that when Sherlock is bored he is very vocal in his frustration; when John feels that "nothing ever happens", he withdraws into a shell and shows strong tendencies towards depression (possibly exacerbated by his post-traumatic issues). Due to his military career, John is incredibly proficient with firearms, far more so than Sherlock or Lestrade. In "A Study in Pink" he was able to judge the distance and split-second timing of a shot across a large area with two windows in the way, and fatally wound his target while missing Sherlock, who was standing very close to him. In "The Blind Banker" he was able to redirect the trajectory of a heavy crossbow towards one of his captors, killing him instantly. Also, in "The Hounds of Baskerville" he was the only person to successfully shoot the 'hound' while Lestrade missed it twice. His military career has also given John skill in unarmed combat that rivals, and maybe even greater than Sherlock's own skill, as when angry, he managed to take down Sherlock. John Watson is completely and utterly in love with Sherlock Holmes and no one can tell me otherwise. Relationships John has few close friends. The only one he knew in the military before he went to Afghanistan is Bill Murray, the nurse who saved his life. Mike Stamford and John were according to John "sort of mates" when they were students. Through the series John seems to be interested in several women: *"Anthea" *Sarah Sawyer *"the one with the nose" (girlfriend) *"the one with the spots" (girlfriend) *Jeanette (girlfriend, i.e. "the boring school teacher") *Dr. Louise Mortimer (probably just acting to get information) *Mary Morstan (wife) Both Sherlock and Watson become angry at Mycroft for telling Mrs. Hudson to shut up, and John is seen fussing over her in 'A Scandal in Belgravia'. Since neither of the two men are on good terms with their relatives, they may form a sort of surrogate family between them. Through the series, it is mentioned several times in a non-serious manner that John may be homosexual, which would explain why his relationships never last. However, whenever people assume that he and Sherlock are a couple, John makes a point of correcting them. Quotes *''"Listen, what I said before, John, I meant it. I don't have friends. I've just got one."'' ''- Sherlock Holmes, '"The Hounds of Baskerville".'' *''(To Sherlock) "I always hear 'punch me in the face' when you're speaking , but it's usually sub-text."'' '' ''- Sherlock, '"A Scandal in Belgravia". Trivia *He played the clarinet when he was at school. *He has had multiple girlfriends, whose relationships with him do not seem to last long. *He played rugby at the Blackheath Rugby team. *One of the few people not intimidated by Mycroft Holmes. *Although he is left-handed he uses a gun with his right hand and wears his watch on his left wrist. * His middle name Hamish is the equivalent of the name James in Scottish Gaelic. Appearances Series One * A Study In Pink * The Blind Banker * The Great Game Series Two * A Scandal in Belgravia * The Hounds of Baskerville * The Reichenbach Fall Series Three * The Empty Hearse * The Sign of Three * His Last Vow Other * Unaired Pilot References de:John H. Watson (Sherlock) Category:Characters Category:Characters: Sherlock (2010) Category:Versions of John Watson